Read this Tuesday’s edition of the FolhaMercado newsletter (19) – 12/19/2023 – Market

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Race against time

Apple may stop sales of its Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in the US starting this week. The reason is a dispute over the patent for the watch device that measures the oxygen level in the owners’ blood.

Understand: The US International Trade Commission (ITC) concluded in October that the device violates patents from the medical technology company Masimo and ordered a ban on imports.

• Masimo accuses the manufacturer of hiring its employees, stealing its pulse oximetry technology and incorporating it into the Apple Watch.

• “Big tech” claims that the ITC’s conclusion was erroneous, should be reversed and intends to appeal.

And now? The company will pause sales of the two watch models that contain the accessory from December 21st on the website and after December 24th in physical stores.

• Older versions of the accessory, launched until 2019, do not have an oximeter and will be sold normally.

TIC Tac: Until Apple begins to halt sales, however, the White House could reverse the ITC’s decision. President Joe Biden has until December 25th to evaluate the issue.

Why it matters: maintaining the penalty for the apple company would hit it in one of its main bets for next year.

↳ The manufacturer will prioritize its accessories, such as watches, headphones and Vision Pro glasses, to the detriment of the iPhone, wrote Bloomberg reporter and company sector expert Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter.

↳ The interruption in sales would also be a new blow to Apple’s revenues, which have come from three consecutive declines in recent quarters.

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Emergency button

The government developed an application so that a person who has their cell phone stolen or stolen can make it unusable using an emergency button. The tool, called “Secure Cell Phone”, starts working tomorrow (20).

The cell phone owner will be able to choose trusted people to grant access to the blocking function or to block the cell phone’s main functions when accessing gov.br.

How will it work: Access to the Celular Seguro platform will be via the gov.br system, with CPF and password.

• After accepting the terms of use, the first step will be to add the people you trust, with the contact’s full name, CPF, telephone number and email;

• She will receive a notification and will see the cell phone registered in the app itself. It is through the registered smartphone icon that this person will have access to the emergency button.

• In cases of theft or theft, she must access the app or website and choose which smartphone will be unlocked. Then, in the pop-up that will appear on the screen, you must click on the “Alert” option.

• It will be necessary to inform whether it was lost, stolen or stolen, the date and place of the occurrence. The application then delivers a protocol number.

• Anatel will also render the device and chip unusable within 24 hours.

Participate Caixa, Banco do Brasil, Bradesco, Inter, Sicredi (Cooperative Credit System), Sicoob (Brazilian Credit Cooperative System) Nubank, iFood and Market Livre.

The government intends to include other participants and will meet with representatives from Google and Apple so that it is possible to clear the cell phone’s memory with the emergency button.

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Conflict in the Red Sea makes oil more expensive

The wave of attacks by Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea, which has interrupted the shipping route in the region, is being viewed with caution by Brazilian exporters.

If it extends, it should make not only freight more expensive, but also commodity prices, such as oil and other inputs.

Understand: The Houthis are Shiites from Yemen financed by Iran and were responsible for opening a secondary front in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Red Sea.

After unsuccessful attempts to attack Israel’s port region, radicals are now targeting vulnerable merchant ships without escort, even without a direct link to Tel Aviv. None were sunk, but several have already suffered damage.

As an answer, the world’s largest shipping companies began to avoid the area and divert to the longer route connecting Europe and Asia, circumnavigating Africa. This is the case of MSC, Maersk and BP.

What impact could it have on prices? An extension of the conflict should make freight more expensive, which should increase the value of practically everything transported by sea – this was one of the factors that generated an explosion in input prices during the pandemic.

The current scenarioHowever, it is cautious. Brazilian sectors that export to the Middle East, mainly the animal protein industry, believe that the situation can be resolved soon.

In the markets, the first impacts already appeared this Monday. Shares of freight companies appreciated, as did oil, whose Brent price closed up 1.83%, at US$77.95 per barrel.

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Cheaper?

The three main airlines operating in Brazil announced this Monday a plan with the aim of making air tickets cheaper.

The problem is that the ceiling of suggested values, between R$699 The R$799is above the average price of tickets sold during this year, of R$ 644.50.

What each company promised to the next year:

• The blue one will provide 10 million seats at prices of up to R$799 each way. Prices will only be valid for tickets purchased 14 days in advance.

• Goal will offer 15 million tickets for up to R$699 and will create promotions for those purchased at least 21 days before the trip and another for those purchased during the week of the flight.

• Latam did not disclose figures, but promised to increase promotional campaigns and increase ticket offerings by 10,000 seats per day, in addition to other measures.

Is different: the plan released by the airlines, despite having the approval of the federal government, is different from the one drawn up by the Executive to provide cheaper tickets for specific groups of the population.

• The Voa Brasil program should be launched in January and will cost R$200 each way for students and retirees.

• The measure would be possible by occupying idle seats on flights. According to initial calculations, it would be possible to offer 14 million to 15 million tickets per year.